Re: Kaolin - Advice Needed
When I first started planting this property, I used a pick to gouge
out planting holes, and then the fruit trees would sit in puddles
during the first winter. I had sandy soil (glacial till) on top of a
thick layer of hardpan. The contractor who was putting in a
neighbour's storm drains lost money as it took him triple his
estimated time. It was disheartening for me to see that huge machine
with its big bucket just scoop up a handful of soil with each
clattering bite. It was still hardpan about 3 metres down.
I considered dynamite. Then I read some articles about the lengths
of roots of some plants, and how they could "mine" the depths to
bring subsoil minerals to the surface. Alfalfa was one of these. (I
think Europeans call it Lucerne). A closer look at the property
showed that it was already growing there. I made sure only to have a
'saucer' around new shrubs and trees during our rainless summers, and
to remove the rim of soil as soon as the rains started in the fall so
that it would drain away. I didn't really have a problem after the
first two years. I think the puddling was caused by my disturbance
of the soil, and after plants got growing, their roots provided
channels for rain to soak into the soil.
Diane Whitehead, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
cool mediterranean climate, about 70 cm rain annually, almost all
from October to April.
